Proverbs 22:6
New International Version
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

New Living Translation
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

English Standard Version
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Berean Standard Bible
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

King James Bible
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

New King James Version
Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

New American Standard Bible
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.

NASB 1995
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

NASB 1977
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Train up a child according to his way, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Amplified Bible
Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Christian Standard Bible
Start a youth out on his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Teach a youth about the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

American Standard Version
Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Contemporary English Version
Teach your children right from wrong, and when they are grown they will still do right.

English Revised Version
Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it.

Good News Translation
Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their life.

International Standard Version
Train a child in the way appropriate for him, and when he becomes older, he will not turn from it.

Majority Standard Bible
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

NET Bible
Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

New Heart English Bible
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Webster's Bible Translation
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

World English Bible
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Give instruction to a youth about his way, "" Even when he is old he does not turn from it.

Young's Literal Translation
Give instruction to a youth about his way, Even when he is old he turneth not from it.

Smith's Literal Translation
Straiten to a youth upon the mouth of his way, also when he shall grow old he will not depart from it.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
It is a proverb: A young man according to his way, even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The proverb is: A youth is close to his way; even when he is old, he will not withdraw from it.

New American Bible
Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it.

New Revised Standard Version
Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He that reproves a boy concerning the beginning of his way, even if he becomes old, he will not turn away from it.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Good Name
5Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them. 6Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. 7The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. / And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Psalm 78:4-6
We will not hide them from their children but will declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD and His might and the wonders He has performed. / For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, / that the coming generation would know them—even children yet to be born—to arise and tell their own children

2 Timothy 3:15
From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 54:13
Then all your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their prosperity.

Colossians 3:21
Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become discouraged.

Genesis 18:19
For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

2 Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.

Deuteronomy 4:9-10
Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren. / The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, “Gather the people before Me to hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach them to their children.”

1 Samuel 1:27-28
I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, / I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD.” So they worshiped the LORD there.

Matthew 19:14
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Psalm 127:3-5
Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. / Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. / Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.

1 Timothy 4:12
Let no one despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Exodus 12:26-27
When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ / you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.

Luke 18:16-17
But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. / Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”


Treasury of Scripture

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

train up a child

Genesis 18:19
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Deuteronomy 4:9
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

Deuteronomy 6:7
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

the way

1 Samuel 1:28
Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

1 Samuel 2:26
And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.

1 Samuel 12:2,3
And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day…

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Proverbs 22
1. A good name is more desirable than great wealth














Train up
The Hebrew word for "train up" is "חנך" (chanak), which means to dedicate or initiate. This term is often used in the context of dedicating a building or a temple, suggesting a formal and intentional beginning. In the context of child-rearing, it implies a deliberate and purposeful approach to guiding a child. The idea is not merely to instruct but to set a foundation, much like laying the cornerstone of a building. This foundation is crucial for the child's future development and spiritual growth.

a child
The word "child" here is "נַעַר" (na'ar) in Hebrew, which can refer to a young person from infancy to adolescence. This broad age range indicates that the training should begin early and continue through the formative years. The emphasis is on the importance of early education and moral instruction, recognizing that the impressions made during these years are lasting and significant.

in the way he should go
This phrase can be translated from the Hebrew "עַל־פִּי דַרְכּוֹ" (al-pi darko), which literally means "according to his way." This suggests a personalized approach to training, taking into account the individual child's personality, talents, and inclinations. It implies that parents and educators should discern the unique path God has for each child and guide them accordingly. This aligns with the biblical understanding that each person is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and has a specific purpose in God's plan.

and when he is old
The phrase "when he is old" refers to maturity, not necessarily old age. The Hebrew word "זָקֵן" (zaqen) can mean advanced in years but also mature or grown. The promise here is that the training and values instilled in youth will endure into adulthood. This reflects the biblical principle of sowing and reaping, where the seeds of righteousness planted early will yield a harvest of godliness later in life.

he will not depart from it
The assurance that "he will not depart from it" speaks to the enduring impact of early training. The Hebrew verb "סוּר" (sur) means to turn aside or deviate. The promise is that the child, having been trained in the right way, will remain steadfast in that path. This is not a guarantee of a life without challenges or deviations, but rather a general principle that the foundational truths and values imparted will anchor the individual throughout life's journey. It underscores the importance of a solid spiritual and moral foundation, which serves as a compass guiding one back to the right path even if they momentarily stray.

Verse 6. - Train up a child in the way he should go. The verb translated "train" (chanak) means, first, "to put something into the mouth," "to give to be tasted," as nurses give to infants food which they have masticated in order to prepare it for their nurslings; thence it comes to signify "to give elementary instruction," "to imbue," "to train." The Hebrew literally is, Initiate a child in accordance with his way. The Authorized Version, with which Ewald agrees, takes the maxim to mean that the child should be trained from the first in the right path - the path of obedience and religion. This is a very true and valuable rule, but it is not what the author intends. "His way" must mean one of two things - either his future calling and station, or his character and natural inclination and capacity. Delitzsch and Plumptre take the latter interpretation; Nowack and Bertheau the former, on the ground that derek is not used in the other sense suggested. But, as far as use is concerned, both explanations stand on much the same ground; and it seems more in conformity with the moralist's age and nation to see in the maxim an injunction to consider the child's nature, faculties, and temperament, in the education which is given to him. If, from his early years, a child is thus trained, when he is old, he will not depart from it. This way, this education in accordance with his idiosyncrasy, will bear fruit all his life long; it will become a second nature, and will never be obliterated. The Vulgate commences the verse with Proverbium est, taking the first word substantively, as if the author here cited a trite saying; but the rendering is a mistake. There are similar maxims, common at all times and in all countries. Virg., 'Georg.,' 2:272 -

"Adeo in teneris consuescere multum est." Horace, 'Epist.,' 1:2, 67 -

"Nunc adbibe puro
Pectore verba, puer."
For, as he proceeds -

"Quo semel est imbuta recens, servabit odorem
Testa diu."
Thus we have two mediaeval jingles - . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Train up
חֲנֹ֣ךְ (ḥă·nōḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 2596: To narrow, to initiate, discipline

a child
לַ֭נַּעַר (lan·na·‘ar)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

in
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the way
דַרְכּ֑וֹ (ḏar·kōw)
Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

he should go,
פִּ֣י (pî)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

and
גַּ֥ם (gam)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

when
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

he is old
יַ֝זְקִ֗ין (yaz·qîn)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2204: To be or become old

he will not
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

depart
יָס֥וּר (yā·sūr)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

from it.
מִמֶּֽנָּה׃ (mim·men·nāh)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 22:5
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